Doctors warn older people about roof falls

Thousands of people present to Australian hospitals each year for ladder and roof falls, with doctors urging caution — particularly for ageing Australians.

Published: 23 January 2026
  • qld
  • 23 January 2026
  • ABC News

Trauma medics warn over-60s against climbing ladders as 6,000 people are hospitalised in a year

Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital trauma surgery fellow Rebekah Young said hospital presentations relating to ladder and roof falls had been on the rise year-on-year at Queensland's largest hospital since 2022.

In the two years between July 2023 to July 2025, the hospital admitted 189 patients for ladder and roof falls.

More than a third of those patients were aged 65 and older.